Frances Alda
A fiery soprano from New Zealand who conquered the Metropolitan Opera, becoming a favorite partner of the great Enrico Caruso.
1879–1952 (age 73)·New Zealand opera singer·Birthday: May 31·The Gilded Age
Biography
Frances Alda brought an Antipodean spark to the grand stages of the early 20th century. Born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, she honed her lyric soprano voice in Paris before making a triumphant debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1908. Her clear, agile voice and commanding stage presence quickly made her a staple of the company. Alda’s name became inextricably linked with that of tenor Enrico Caruso, with whom she shared a famed artistic partnership and numerous performances, from 'La Bohème' to 'Aida'. Her career was also shaped by her marriage to the Met’s formidable general manager, Giulio Gatti-Casazza, a union that was as professionally complicated as it was personally tumultuous. After retiring from the stage, she found a second career in radio, her distinctive voice and sharp wit entertaining a new audience far from the opera house.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Frances was born in 1879, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Frances Was Born
The biggest hits of 1879
Frances's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1879Born
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1884Started school
President: Chester A. Arthur
1892Became a teenager
President: Benjamin Harrison
1895Could drive
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1897Could vote
President: William McKinley
1900Turned 21
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1909Turned 30
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1919Turned 40
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1929Turned 50
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1939Turned 60
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1949Turned 70
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Died at 73
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
Key Achievements
- Sang over 30 leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera in New York during a career spanning 1908 to 1929.
- Frequently performed opposite Enrico Caruso, cementing one of the era's most famous operatic partnerships.
- Made numerous recordings for the Victor Talking Machine Company, preserving her voice for posterity.
- Authored a candid and popular autobiography, 'Men, Women and Tenors', in 1937.
Did You Know?
Her birth name was Frances Jane Davis; 'Alda' was a stage name suggested by her teacher, Mathilde Marchesi.
She was the first major opera singer to have a regular radio program, 'The Frances Alda Show', in the 1930s.
She was known for her sharp tongue and once famously quipped about a rival's singing, 'What a pity she has a wooden leg and can't put her foot down on it.'
“An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down.”
